Discover new kitchen selections
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
$5.99 with 68 percent savings
Print List Price: $18.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.

Audiobook Price: $17.46

Save: $9.97 (57%)

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Simon Michael
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Final Shot: A 1960s London gangland thriller (Charles Holborne Legal Thrillers Book 7) Kindle Edition

by Simon Michael (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 627 ratings
Charles Holborne returns with another high-stakes case! Perfect for fans of John Grisham, Robert Bailey, Michael Connelly and Robert Dugoni.

They think it’s all over…

London, 1966

As England eagerly anticipates the World Cup Final, barrister Charles Holborne is briefed in another high-profile case.

Once a sadistic gangster, Reverend Stanley Sharpe found God while incarcerated and has run his own parish for a number of years since being released. But when he is convicted of murdering Frank Marshall, right-hand man to the Kray twins, he is sent back to prison for life.

Convinced that he is innocent, Reverend Sharpe’s wife begs Charles to apply to the Court of Appeal to reopen the case.

With his own question marks over whether Frank Marshall is really dead, Charles agrees to take the brief on.

But with the media now casting doubt over Sharpe’s redemption, Charles knows he is bound for failure unless he can find further evidence.

And to do so he must once again cross the most dangerous men in London…

THE FINAL SHOTis the seventh crime novel in an exciting historical series, the Charles Holborne Legal Thrillers — gritty, hard-boiled mysteries set in 1960s London.

‘Simon Michael’s past life as a barrister brings life and authenticity to a book I enjoyed immensely. An excellent read’ — Charlie Garratt, author of the Inspector James Given series

‘This is a well-written novel set in 1960s London and featuring the gangland scene of that time with its notorious villains. The characters are well rounded and the author captures the essence of the Swinging 60s as the plot gradually unfolds and draws to a satisfying conclusion’ — Heather Burnside, author of The Working Girls series

‘Simon Michael wove historical fact and a novelist’s imagination into a believable story that remains a very readable work of fiction. I would recommend this novel to anyone, whether or not you usually read crime thrillers. If you do, go seek this out, and buy it immediately!’ — Bonnie Meekums, author of A Kind of Family

THE CHARLES HOLBORNE LEGAL THRILLERS SERIES:
BOOK ONE: The Brief
BOOK TWO: An Honest Man
BOOK THREE: The Lighterman
BOOK FOUR: Corrupted
BOOK FIVE: The Waxwork Corpse
BOOK SIX: Force of Evil
BOOK SEVEN: The Final Shot
BOOK EIGHT: Nothing But The Truth
BOOK NINE: Death, Adjourned
BOOK TEN: The Fall Guy
Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Book 7 of 10
    Charles Holborne Legal Thrillers
  2. Print length
    383 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    January 19, 2022
  5. File size
    1.4 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details
Unwell Hydration from Alex Cooper
Hydrate & focus with every sip Shop now

Shop this series

 See full series
There are 10 books in this series.

Customers also bought or read

Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1
Previous page
  5. Precipice: A Novel
    Kindle Edition
    $14.99
  22. The Secret HoursEditors' pick
    Kindle Edition
    $9.99
Next page
Loading...

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09M7Q5S5K
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 19, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.4 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 383 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1800554900
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 7 of 10 ‏ : ‎ Charles Holborne Legal Thrillers
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 627 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Simon Michael

Simon Michael

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Simon Michael, often referred to as “the British John Grisham”, is the author of the best-selling London 1960s legal crime thrillers featuring his antihero barrister, Charles Holborne. Holborne, born Charlie Horowitz, is a former heavyweight boxer and occasional criminal who was once known by his former East End associates at "the Yiddisher Brick Shithouse". Now he's a barrister, battling prejudice, entitlement and corruption in his West End profession.

Simon was published in the UK and the US in the 1980s and returned to writing when he retired from the law in 2016. The Charles Holborne series, now nine books, have garnered strong reviews for their authenticity and excitement and are under contract for a TV series.

Simon’s tales from the Bar and the plots for his novels are based on his criminal practice, his life and that of his own family. Refugees from the Spanish Inquisition, the Michael family arrived in the Port of London in 1492 and remained in the East End for the next 450 years. Simon believes himself to be the only member of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple formerly to have been a council labourer, a van driver and a gardener. Once qualified he practised as a barrister for 37 years, working at the Old Bailey and other criminal courts, defending and prosecuting a wide selection of murderers, armed robbers, con artists and other assorted villainy. The era about which he writes, the 1960s, was the “wild west” of British justice, a time when the Krays, the Richardsons and other violent gangs fought for control of London’s organised crime, and the corrupt Metropolitan Police beat up suspects, twisted evidence and took a share of the criminal proceeds. Simon weaves into his thrillers real events of the time, the cases on which he worked, and his unusual family history.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
627 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Top reviews from the United States

  • OKchic
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love this series!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I have read all 7 of the Charles Holborne series and have enjoyed them all. Charles is such a great character, a lawyer in London with a very interesting past that boxes as well and who is a good, honest man who still manages to get into some precarious situations. The 1960’s setting along with the seedy gang activity makes for an intriguing backdrop. These are full of great courtroom drama and twists and turns. The personal life of Charles evolves throughout the series. I am anxious for the next one which per Mr. Michael will be coming in the Fall. If you enjoy legal thrillers I suggest you check out this great series. Start with the first and read in order!
    Helpful
     Report
  • Di
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another hit in a great series
    Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    As with all the previous books in the series, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Both the core case in this book, and the further insight into Charles Holborne's life and the times are interesting and gripping. I'm at the point where I almost don't want to read these as each one leads closer to the end of the series, and then I'll no longer have the anticipation of further enjoyment. That said, I'm eagerly awaiting the next one!
    Helpful
     Report
  • Ruth M Cohen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommend this great read!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    If you like courtroom dramas, this book is for you. The 7th in the Charles Holborne series, I think this is Simon Michael’s best! But I probably say that when I finish each one. I love the twists and turns, the way he brings Holborne’s family into his stories, and the images of ‘60s London, which he so adeptly brings to life. The wicked Cray twins and their larger than life cohort of “baddies” get away with murder as always. Can’t wait for the next book when, hopefully, they get their comeuppance!! Read this book- you won’t regret it!
    Helpful
     Report
  • Richard Seligman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Charles Holborne Does It Again!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2022
    "The Final Shot" is the seventh volume in the series of "legal thrillers" featuring Charles Holborne, a brilliant barrister whose cases never fail to capture the reader in only a moment or two. Each volume features an entirely different case, but there are also common threads that run through all of the books. Simon Michael creates yet another set of memorable characters, including Maria Hudson, a recent law school graduate from the US who wants to learn about the British legal system. Maria has what it takes to become a successful attorney, whether in the US or in Britain. She is Black and is a talented musician, who is having a struggle deciding what she wants to be "when she grows up." Other characters from Charles' past keep the plot turning and twisting until we get to the end. However, even as volume seven ends, the stirrings of volume eight are on the horizon. Let us hope that there will be many more volumes to come!
    Helpful
     Report
  • KCreads
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brace Yourself!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2022
    I read this book as a standalone, and I was surprised at how easy it was to fall into the story. I was an instant fan of Charles Holborne, and I was immersed in learning about his past. He is back with his girlfriend, Sally, and it is clear in this installment that he is a better person than he has been in other books of the series. Simon Michael takes us on a page-turning roller coaster that is careening toward the World Cup in 1966. The Krays rule the underbelly of London, and the depth of their power is gripping. Charles has been asked to advise on an appeal, and he involves new apprentice, Maria Hudson to help out. Stanley Sharp is in prison and has confessed to a crime he insists he did not commit. Pick up this brilliant thriller and hop on the roller coaster for an exhilarating ride!
    Helpful
     Report
  • Glynn Young
    5.0 out of 5 stars A London legal thriller, set against the 1966 World Cup
    Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Attorney Charles Holborne briefly has a case that even he knows is hopeless. A rather notorious criminal found religion in prison and became a Church of England minister upon release. He’s been working diligently in his chosen mission field in London, and he’d been trying to get a boy’s club set up to help steer teenagers in the right direction. But a man was killed, the minister charged on both evidence and a supposed confession and convicted. Charles looks at the case and agrees there’s no room for an appeal.

    But he buys a car from the minister’s son, who operates a dealership, and that sets in motion a train of events that will lead to violence, murder, and the doors to the Kray Twins, legendary crime czars in London in the 1950s and 1960s (the Krays happen to be historical figures). And in 1966, all of this is happening while England is heading to the final game of the World Cup.

    His personal life is vastly improving. His former girlfriend sally is now his full-fledged girlfriend again; the two are living together and remodeling an old home not far from Charles’s chambers in the Temple. But his mother is increasingly in the grip of dementia, and his father is having trouble trying to care for her, even though he refuses to hear any talk of a care home.

    What the reader of “The Final Shot,” the seventh Charles Holborne mystery by Simon Michael, knows is what Charles does not but only suspects: the murder victim for which the minister was sent to prison is very much alive. And the Kray Twins are behind it all, which may make it very problematic for Charles, who has his own problems, and entanglements, with the Krays.

    Michael studied law at Kings College, London University and was called to the Bar in 1978. He worked primarily in the field of criminal law until the late 1990s, when he focused his practice on clinical negligence. He began writing in the 1980s and resumed it when he retired from legal practice.

    “The Final Shot” is another solid entry in the Charles Holborne series, full of detail about the period when the Beatles were changing popular culture, Allen Ginsburg was reading his poetry, and LSD was a new entrant on the drug scene.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Ken C.
    5.0 out of 5 stars London Calling
    Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2022
    The Final Shot is my first read of a Simon Michael novel. I enjoyed it quite a bit and was pleased to learn more about gangsters in 60's London. Charles Holborne makes for a great lead character. I thought that the author laid the plot well and I enjoyed Holborne's relationship with Sally, and the character Maria. I will never get to Chambers and the London courts, so this novel presented a vicarious thrill. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Dr A D Buss
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another gripping tale in the Charles Holborne series.
    Reviewed in Australia on July 11, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    A great story involving 60s London, the Kray twins and much, much more.
    Report
  • Kinrara
    5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent read with a lovely twist!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    I have read the first seven books in this series virtually back to back and am completely hooked. Charlie is such a likeable, ‘real’ character and the historical references to the politics of the day, the Krays and major events of the 60s and 70s make these novels a fascinating read!
    Report
  • vincent o'donnell
    4.0 out of 5 stars a good read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 18, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Not as good as the preceding books but still a good read. Wee bit lacking in courtroom drama, which is the strength of the other books. Still enjoyable.
    Report
  • Emma
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another brilliant book in one of the best series
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 21, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I absolutely love the Charles Holborne Legal Thrillers series. The whole series is completely fascinating, compelling and beautifully written all set in the era of the Krays and with some events and characters based on true events and people. Love it so much I have purchased the audible version where the brilliantly written story is brought to life.
    Report
  • Debbie F Carter
    5.0 out of 5 stars another fabulous book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I’m going to really miss this character after the final book. I even listened to this on Alexa assisted reader (, you start it on Kindle, then you ask your Amazon Alexa/echo ‘ Alexa, read my kindle book.’ And she just picks up and carries on reading it. Nowhere near as good as the actual narrator on this one the previous one, but to be honest she can be a lot better and some of the narrators on other books! LOL)

    I hope Simon Michael has done other books because I love his detail in courtroom scenes and obvious knowledge and experience as a barrister. Well done Simon!
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report